Cover for automobile transmission-gears.



H. V. YOUNG. COVER FOR AUTOMOBILE TRANSMISSION GEARS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 31, 1908.

Patented July 6, 1909.

HENRY V. YOUNG, OF NEW CUMBERLAND, WEST VIRGINIA.

COVER FOR AUTOMOBILE TRANSMISSION-GEARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1909.

Application filed August 31, 1908. Serial No. 451,021.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY V. YOUNG, a citizen oi the United States,residing at New Cumberland, in. the county of Hancock and State of WestVirginia, have invented a new and usei'ul Cover l'or Automobile Transmission-Gear, of which the following is a speciii- 3 cation.

This invention has rei'erence to im .)rove ments in covers forautomobile transmission gear and its object is to provide means forpreventing the throwing of lubricants from the transmission gear in suchmanner as to soil the underside oi the floor oi the vehicle or theadjacent portions of the machine, or to reach the projecting portions ofthe foot levers where engaged by the foot of the operator, or to becomelodged in the slots in the floor through which slots the loot leversproject.

The soiling of parts of the machine adjacent to the transmission gear bythrowing off of lubricating oil therefrom or the graphite mixturesusually employed is effectually prevented by the cover forming thesubject matter of the invention, and this cover is not only easilyapplied and removed without tools, but is so constructed as to beeffectually locked when in position against rattling caused by thejarring oi' the automobile in passing over rough roads.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification in which drawing Figure 1is a top plan view of a transmission gear and adjacent parts with thecover applied. Fig. 2 is a section on the line A B of Fig. 1 showingalso a portion of the floor oi the vehicle body. Fig. 3, is aperspective view of the shield removed from the machine and Fig. 4 is adetailed view of a portion of the shield.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a frame 1 supporting thetransmission gear indicated illustratively at 2 in Fig. 2 and thistransmission gear is of a known type being characteristic of theautomobile known commercially as the Ford automobile. The transmissiongear therefore needs no description. It is to be observed however, thatthe transmission gear is provided with two foot levers 3, 4 projectingupwardly through slots 5 in the floor 6 of the body of the automobile.

In the particular type 01' the transmission gear illustrated in thedrawing, the parts of the gear are put into and out of action by meansof the levers acting upon clutch. bands, indicated at 7. Since thetransmission gear and the bands for putting the same into and out ofaction l'orm no part of the present invention no attempt has been madein the drawing to show any details oi structure oi these parts, but onlya suflicient showing for understanding the invention.

In order to prevent throwing the oil or other lubricant used inconnection with the transmission gear onto the surrounding parts whenthe automobile is in operation, there is provided a cover 8 made of asingle piece of sheet metal, preferably copper, although not necessarilyso, and this cover is so curved that when its ends are resting inengagement with the friction bands of the transmission gear the middleportion or crown of the cover is in yielding engagement with the underside of the floor 6 of the body of the automobile. The cover is wider atthe central portion than at the ends and the said ends are each recessedor notched as indicated at 9, the notches being of suiiicient width topermit the corresponding ends of the cover to straddle the clutch bandsso that the cover is thus efiectually locked from side movement.

At that end of the cover 8 where the clutch bands are liable to movementbecause of the operation of the lovers the end walls of the slots areformed with lips 10 so as to form a broad bearing surface at the saidends thereof and thereby prevent marring or wear of the bands or of thecover. In order to strengthen the sides of the cover and provide afinish, the sides of the cover are provided with beads 11 which may beformed by turning the material of the cover about a wire housed in thecorresponding edges of the cover.

WVhen the cover is in place the bases or end walls of the recesses 9rest upon the clutch bands while the crown of the cover is against theunder side of the bottom 6 of the vehicle cover. The elasticity of thecover and its bearing both at the ends and at the crown effectually holdthe cover in engagement with its support and there by prevent rattlingor other noises caused by the dis lacement of the metal parts one uponthe ot ier.

By making the cover of copper it will readily absorb any heat generatedby the transmission gear when new and dissipate any such heat.

Any oil or other lubricant thrown off by the transmission gear when inoperation will either be thrown toward the ground upward or toward theunder surface of the cover to ultimately gravitate to the end of thesame and drop elf the extensions 12 between the recesses 9, whichextensions may have their ends reduced in diameter being narrowed at theouter ends indicated at 13, so as to direct any lubricant away from theclutch bands as it gravitates to the end of the cover and these narrowedends of the extensions 12 will facilitate the dropping off of thelubricant toward the ground. The surrounding parts adjacent to thetransmission gear are thus protected from being fouled or soiled bylubricant thrown off by the transmission gear, which lubricant withoutthe shield S frequently finds its way through the slots 5 and upon thefoot levers to the great annoyance of the operator.

When it is desired to remove the shield from the transmission gear it isonly necessary to lift one end and thereby unfasten that end of theshield, when the entire shield may be readily pulled out from above thetransmission gear, and the shield may be as readily reinserted withoutin either case the need of any tools whatsoever.

What is claimed is 1. A shield for the transmission gear of automobilesconsisting of an elastic sheet of suitable material having spacedextensions at the ends conforming generally to the di rection of thelength of the sheet and adapted to straddle the clutch bands of thetransmission gear, said sheet being shaped at one end, between theextensions, to present a broad bearing against the clutch bands.

2. A shield for the transmission gear of automobiles consisting of acurved, elastic sheet of suitable material having spaced extensions atthe ends conforming generally to the direction of the length of thesheet and adapted to straddle the clutch bands of the transmission gear,with the body of the shield resting on the bands and the crown of theshield engaging the under side of the body of the automobile when theshield is in position on the transmission gear.

3. A shield for the transmission gear of automobiles consisting of acurved sheet of suitable metal, wider at the center than at the ends andhaving the ends recessed to form spaced extensions adapted to straddlethe clutch bands of the transmission gear, the metal at the bases of therecesses one end of the shield being formed into tongues projecting atapproximately right angles to the spaced extensions.

4. A shield for the transmission gear of automobiles consisting ofcurved sheet of metal wider at the center than at the ends and havingits sides formed with strengthening'means, the ends of the shield beingrecessed to form spaced extensions with their ends narrowed and themetal at the bases of the recesses at one end of the shield being formedinto tongues projecting at approximately right angles to the spacedextensions.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses HENRY V. YOUNG \Vitnesses:

G. S. WILsON, A. H. MoCoNxEY.

